Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- An Arizona requirement for local
law enforcement to conduct immigration-status checks, left
standing by the U.S. Supreme Court, can take effect, a judge
said.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton in Phoenix lifted a
preliminary injunction today on what civil rights groups call
the “show me your papers” provision. The judge permanently
barred Arizona from enforcing three other provisions of the
state’s first-of-its-kind crackdown on illegal immigration that
the Supreme Court found were preempted by federal law.

The June 25 ruling by the Supreme Court was an election-year victory for President Barack Obama, whose administration
had challenged the Arizona law and who is vying with Republican
candidate Mitt Romney for Hispanic votes. Supporters of the law
say the federal government isn’t doing enough to crack down on
an estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.

“Today is the day we have awaited for more than two
years: the injunction against the heart of SB 1070 has been
lifted,” Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said in a statement.
“With SB 1070 in effect, state and local officers will be
empowered to inquire about an individual’s immigration status,
but only as part of a legal stop or detention and when the
officer has reasonable suspicion.”

‘Reasonable Suspicion’

The measure left standing by the Supreme Court requires
local police to check the immigration status of a person they
stop if they have a “reasonable suspicion” that the individual
is an illegal alien. The Supreme Court left open the possibility
of future legal challenges to the provision.

“It’s good the three provisions are permanently
enjoined,” Linton Joaquin, general counsel with the National
Immigration Law Center, said in a phone interview. “We’ll
continue to fight to have this provision blocked as well.”

Bolton on Sept. 5 rejected a request by a group of civil
rights organizations, including the National Immigration Law
Center, to temporarily prevent Arizona from enforcing the
provision until the courts have ruled whether it violates the
U.S. Constitution.

The judge said she wouldn’t ignore the “clear direction”
of the U.S. Supreme Court that the provision “cannot be
challenged further on its face before the law takes effect.”

The civil rights groups on Sept. 13 filed an emergency
motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco to
prevent Arizona from implementing the law while they are
appealing Bolton’s decision.

The case is U.S. v. Arizona, 10-1413, U.S. District Court,
District of Arizona (Phoenix.)